noticed this mark on some of my tomato stem?
Hello everyone, I was up potting my tomatoes and noticed this spot on some of the stems right above the soil line. The plants seem nice and healthy. Any ideas. Also my eggplant leaves seem to be curling under but I haven't had them under the lights for about a day, is that why? They were fine and other than that they also seem healthy. Thanks all.
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applestar
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It looks like a vertical slit in the tomato stem that is trying to heal. It could have been damping off fungal infection that it recovered from, or it might have been scratched somehow — potting Mixes that contain sticks and wood chips is one potential cause. The stem might also have been kinked during uppotting. I would bury that up to 1” above the scar with fresh potting mix so the plant will grow more roots above the wound ... but...
The white crustiness on top of your mix — is that furry like mold or crystalline like salt? You should address that before burying the stem.
Eggplants — I’m tending to think it wants more water. Eggplant is thirstiest of the three, then tomatoes, then peppers. Prioritize watering in that order and keep them in separate trays for the most part. I put peppers last because you are more liable to overwater/waterlog the peppers and cause root rot if you are not careful.
...considering the size, it might also need some weak fertilizer if you are not supplementing.
But also check for aphids.
The white crustiness on top of your mix — is that furry like mold or crystalline like salt? You should address that before burying the stem.
Eggplants — I’m tending to think it wants more water. Eggplant is thirstiest of the three, then tomatoes, then peppers. Prioritize watering in that order and keep them in separate trays for the most part. I put peppers last because you are more liable to overwater/waterlog the peppers and cause root rot if you are not careful.
...considering the size, it might also need some weak fertilizer if you are not supplementing.
But also check for aphids.
I just up potted my eggplant about 4 days ago so they should not need fertilizer but might need more watering. Thanks.applestar wrote:It looks like a vertical slit in the tomato stem that is trying to heal. It could have been damping off fungal infection that it recovered from, or it might have been scratched somehow — potting Mixes that contain sticks and wood chips is one potential cause. The stem might also have been kinked during uppotting. I would bury that up to 1” above the scar with fresh potting mix so the plant will grow more roots above the wound ... but...
The white crustiness on top of your mix — is that furry like mold or crystalline like salt? You should address that before burying the stem. Thank you, I just up potted all my tomatoes and buried them deep above the scare area. That's actually how I noticed the scar. That white stuff is some kind of fungus that's on a lot of my soil but doesn't seem to be effecting anything or having a ill effect.
Eggplants — I’m tending to think it wants more water. Eggplant is thirstiest of the three, then tomatoes, then peppers. Prioritize watering in that order and keep them in separate trays for the most part. I put peppers last because you are more liable to overwater/waterlog the peppers and cause root rot if you are not careful.
...considering the size, it might also need some weak fertilizer if you are not supplementing.
But also check for aphids.